Those of you outside Ottawa will have no idea what the NCC is. The National Capital Commision is supposed to help protect and guide the image of Ottawa as it grows. They've made a number of horrible decisions over the years and have the power to lock up land, regardless of what the municipality wants to do. It has lead to issues with roads not being expanded, and difficulty getting services into new areas of the city. Recently they released a survey asking for input on current plans. As you'll read, it's a bit of a joke. Article

I'm totally addicted to Threes on my iPad. It is a deceptively simple game which is more challenging than it appears. I'm up to a score of 66,000, and I've unlocked the 1536 tile. If you decide to get it, I highly recommend Serenity Caldwell's excellent article discussing strategies for it. Article

My favourite quote of the week: "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse". Chris Hadfield's recent TED talk entitled "What I learned from going blind in space". Video

The big news in the art world this week was the sale of a Fabergé Imperial Egg which was previously thought lost. The House of Fabergé made a total of 50 eggs for the Russian Imperial family, and seven are still lost. This one was discovered in a flea market years ago, and was originally going to be melted down for its gold content. Fortunately it wasn't, and was recently sold to a private seller. If you have an impressive gold egg lying around the house, please don't melt it down. Drop me a line first ;) Article

Canada has some of the most expensive wireless rates in the world. The carriers say the high cost is due to our low population density (which is difficult to believe since more than 80% of Canadians live in urban areas). They also claim they provide the most competitive rates possible, and there is no need for additional competition from international carriers. It's difficult to believe they are trying to compete with each other when all three carriers raise their prices by the same amount, at the same time. Article

Periodic videos has an amusing video on how to extend the range of car remote. Video

If you've ever been curious about what is involved with picking a prison lock, or how a lock works, check out this video. Video

If you aren't yet listening to the Hello Internet podcast, what exactly are you waiting for? Podcast

Painting pin stripes by hand requires amazing skill. This guy isn't the best I've seen, but his choice of canvas makes it challenging. Video

Andrei Linde is responsible for the inflationary theory of the universe. Chao-Lin Kuo surprises him with the news that his theory has been confirmed by observations. A viral video which is worth going viral. Video

I love what the Brits have been doing with their coins lately (the current set creates a the country's coat of arms when laid out properly). The new Pound coin, which will enter circulation in 2017, looks mighty sexy. Article

More on how we got to the place we're in with the mattress racket I mentioned last week. Article

Most people think 3D printing makes it easy to just print out whatever you want. The reality is very different from the fantasy. Building the 3D model takes time and skill. Tested.com have a good article on some best practices when building models for printing. Article

It looks like helping your kids with their homework is doing them more harm than good. Article

A few beat boxers came onto my radar this week. Kawehi's version of Closer by NiN. Video. KRNFX covers Get Lucky by Daft Punk. Video. Finally Jimmy Fallon and Billy Joel use the same tech to do a doo-wop number on The Tonight Show. Video. (Their version of You May Be Right is pretty damn good as well Video).

This week I've been rewatching Game of Thones in preparation for the fourth season. The story has some serious issues, and Martin isn't as clever as he'd like to think, but the high production value makes it worth a watch. A word of warning, it is violent, and everyone dies (don't get attached to any of the characters).

A more light hearted pick if violent fantasy isn't your cup of tea, QI with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies. It is one of the great panel shows which are popular in the UK, and combines great comedy with intelligent topics. It assumes you enjoy being treated like an intelligent adult, so don't expect Jersey Shore.